Ten years after Mad Men ended, Christina Hendricks reflects on the show's lasting impact on her career and television itself. At the Series Mania Festival in Lille, she shared how her iconic role continues to shape her opportunities and public perception.
"Mad Men opened so many doors for me and is still a part of my life," says actress Christina Hendricks, a decade after the end of the award-winning series that redefined television while dissecting 1960s America.
Now 49, the red-haired actress became a household name for her role as Joan, the head secretary of a New York ad agency, whom she played from 2007 to 2015. Over seven seasons, Joan evolved into a powerful, independent businesswoman navigating a sexist, male-dominated world.
“I adored playing her,” Hendricks said in an interview with three media outlets, including AFP, during her appearance as guest of honor at the Series Mania Festival in Lille, northern France.
"Joan changed my life. For the better. Mad Men was my fourth series, but it was the one that really put me on the map,” said the actress, who went on to star in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive (2011) and the NBC series Good Girls from 2018 to 2021.
Far from being typecast, Hendricks credits Mad Men—created by Sopranos writer Matthew Weiner—with opening doors. The industry finally saw her range.
"Before, people thought I could only play a nurse or a secretary. Now, I’m constantly offered lawyer or doctor roles," she said. A former model, Hendricks’ hand famously held the rose on the poster for American Beauty (1999).
Today, she feels the possibilities are "limitless"—and she’s even considering stepping behind the camera to direct one day.
In Small Town, Big Story, a quirky Irish comedy by Chris O’Dowd (Moone Boy) premiered at Series Mania, she plays a producer who returns to her Irish hometown after 20 years to shoot a big Hollywood production.
Though enchanted by Ireland’s beauty, Hendricks admitted the shoot was tough. "We filmed mostly outdoors—in the rain and mud. I was pushed to levels of discomfort I’ve never experienced before on a show."
“Toxic, not glamorous”
While fans wait to see whether the show will air in France, Hendricks can next be seen in Good American Family, streaming on Disney+ from May 7. Starring Ellen Pompeo (Grey’s Anatomy), the series is based on a true story about a Ukrainian girl with a rare form of dwarfism accused by her adoptive parents of faking her age. “I’d never heard of this unbelievable story,” Hendricks said.
She also appears in a supporting role in The Buccaneers, a period drama similar to Bridgerton. Season two is expected in June on Apple TV+. Still, Mad Men remains the role that defines her. “People bring it up several times a day,” she said. Thanks to streaming platforms, new audiences continue to discover—or rediscover—the series. “Even though it’s been over ten years, it’s still very much part of my life.”
A standout of the TV golden age, Mad Men was celebrated for its retro style, period accuracy, and complex characters—like Don Draper (Jon Hamm), a tortured womanizer addicted to whisky and cigarettes—while confronting the darker truths of the era, including misogyny. “We tried to show that it was toxic—not glamorous,” Hendricks insisted. “I’m so proud of the conversations the show sparked—about feminism, sexism, and racism,” she added.
And what about the present day? “It’s clear that in the U.S., it feels like we’re going backward. It’s a very, very scary time,” she said. “I think the whole world is worried about what’s happening in our country.”
With AFP
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